All Things Being Equal

Lunel has begun a new journal 

For all our friends and ohana family who are checking in periodically there are just a few things to know about our current situation.

1. Our new family and place where we are staying is safe and comfortable and beyond generous.
2. The internet connection for anything is extremely sporadic so communication may be slow
3. We are both finding ways to "feel normal" without all the things that used to fill those roles.

Evening meal with our new family and old neighbors

(from bottom)
All Things Being Equal
And Change Inevitable
I Choose to Be Her Now!

Years ago, during a major life growth/adjustment/change at age 60, I got my first tattoo -- a symbol that kept coming through in my dreams and art. Since then I have used it on all my art. For me it is represents one of my basic core beliefs: Joy and Sorrow - Life and Death - Light and Dark all are not only necessary elements to existence but also equal.

New family building on just for us!! That's aloha!

And so it is in the be-here-now moment, or as we say here "Be Here Na'au." The loss feels overwhelming and unbearable and yet, somehow it also feels equal to the generous aloha-spirit that is being extended to us. And, that is equal to our discomfort at asking for help or even receiving it. The photos on our previous blog show the destruction and these represent how we are processing the pain and receiving the aloha as we find our way into an unknown future.

Especially to those who have made any kind of contribution we say MAHALO!! our difficulty getting on-line or even staying connected to say "thank you" makes responding a challenge.

Moss & Artful Companions

Here in Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii, February was a wet month with over 30 inches of rain at our house although some elevations got a lot more. Here in the Puna District, however, our wealth is, in part, measured by how much water is in our 10,000 gallon catchment tank (artfully disguised with beautiful plantings.) This is our only source of water for our household and apartment.

The other day there was a break in the rain that allowed us to resume some of our outside yard projects, and we both were amazed at how many little surprises we found in the yard -- mosses, lichen and mushrooms in particular. We each took turns with the camera trying to catch the magic that then inspired some additional art and poetry! So, here's some of what we found and a little poem I wrote.

"MOSS SONG" by lunel

when the light is low

and shadows long

the mosses sing

the best slow songs

notes in a minor key

with altos strong

It seems like nearly everyone we know finds a way to create art, even our multi-talented yard helper, Marcus. Just this morning we ran into him at our local Leilani Estates Garage Sale where he had a few of his paintings for sale. I found one that I loved and he was willing to part with. The link below is a delightful time-lapse U-Tube video of Marcus painting it. Please check it out -- I hope you enjoy: Marcus painting: "Grasses"

Lava Hike

Lunel - nose into the trade winds, ready for hike

Shortly after Hurricane Iselle hit us, in the summer of 2014, lava from nearby Pu'u O'o vent began to flow directly toward our subdivision just south of Pahoa Village. At that time our focus was survival and safety and everyone was hugely relieved when, just a few yards before dividing Pahoa in half, the flow stopped, and began to flow toward the ocean again, to the south of Kalapana. Whew! (click any photo for bigger view)

Huge section of lava shelf fell off in December, and continues to crumble

Here is the newly revised four-mile trail out to view

After Lunel's knee injury in 2015, surgery and following recovery, we were not much interested in a dangerous hike out to where lava was flowing into the ocean. We heard wonderful stories about it from friends and neighbors. Finally, this week, at the invitation of a friend, and because shuttles are available for part of the trek, it seemed the right time.

Photo by Leigh Hilbert -- looking up the pali -- toward the Pu'u O'o vent -- flowing from Kilauea Volcano

Since the flow path returned to the ocean, several large lava "shelves" have broken off and fallen into the ocean, creating danger for hikers resulting in re-routing for site seers. It is a job the park services and county take very seriously. While bikes are available, it seemed smart to take a shuttle out to the drop off point where the hike began. From there it was over four miles out (one-way) to see the flow.
Most people had already been out during the day and now were returning -- wearing headlamps or riding well lit bicycles. Very few people were going out, maybe because it was dark, but we wanted to take full advantage of the dusk-to-dark ambiance for full impact.

Once there, we had the option of turning right to follow the glowing river up the pali (cliffs) or left toward the ocean. We joined small groups of people clustered around, quietly humbled at the raw power as we watched streams of lava pour into the sea. Knowing we faced the return four-mile hike, we did not linger long and were surprised by a gentle rain shower as we began the trek back. We have to give a shout out to Kalapana Cultural Tours who provide a variety of safe, informative services. Mahalo especially to Dwayne!

Breakfast at the "Mango Table"

The east-facing window on lanai 

"MANGO TABLE" --highly recommended stop in Puna on the Big Island" -- Not only do you have a beautiful view, service is excellent and fare is yummy and includes fresh fruit, vegies and juices from the estate, mini cranberry scones with pecans, fresh coffee just to mention a few. Be sure to schedule a leisurely visit to the "Mango Table" at the Haysmer Estate just south of Pahoa. 

As we were enjoying breakfast the other morning out on the lanai, we were remembering what this view looked like when we moved in. So, it was fun to scrounge through the old photos from February 2012 when we first saw the property.

Whirling galaxies collide in the dense mango burl

First of all the lanai was something we decided to build onto the existing house and is complete with wicker furniture, lots of plants and art, and of course, our cedar hot tub at the other end.

The mango table, however, has its own interesting story: After Hurricane Iselle a few years ago, a dear friend had a fund raiser to help her repair her badly damaged roof. This five foot slab of mango was one left over from another friend (on our street) who had just finished building her new home. We bid on it -- and after taking it home, Phil worked his magic on it to bring out all the glorious details of the mango burl.

Pictured below with three composite photos are views of our east side property 2012 and now.

No grass, no landscaping, no lava beds -- just dry red cinder and a bucket for compost: What potential!!

This photo is exactly what we see out the window, taken four years later, after a lot of hard work.

**** - Just to clarify (for blog visitors who may not know) the "Mango Table" is a private residence, not open to the public, but generally a great meeting place for any and all of our friends and ohana.

4-Year Anniversary BABIES!!

Today marks the anniversary of our arrival in Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii on 12/12/12. And, we are celebrating two new "babies." Well, of course first are the "baby pictures" everyone wants to see --the sweet little girl puppy who was born December 1st. Here she is (a week old) curled up in Phil's hands and belly-up for a nap.

Outback 48Volt "Flex-Power" System

SUN POWER!! Here's the "baby" we didn't quite expect, but are happy it finally arrived. For a couple years now, we have been struggling to figure out what kind of solar set up we needed, while piddling along with half-steps, making mistakes, and learning our options. Well, we took the plunge and opted for a whole-house set up which means all the energy to run our house and our rental will come from the sun!!  Everyone will recognize "A" in the photo -- a standard electrical box connecting all the various appliances, lights, and electrical operations of the house.

Our first "baby" steps early on, were to get our most expensive items OFF of the electric bill. Switching the hot tub from electric to propane was a huge savings. Next was the refrigerator and the water pump that runs water for both our house and the rental. Just those steps brought the bill down to about $110 -- and that is for three people. Eventually we knew we wanted to do even more.

# F - Phil's new "mate" computerized panel

Two years ago, we were somewhat prepared for Hurricane Iselle because we had a good quality generator, and were able to maintain both internet service, refrigerator and freezer as well as TV and power for our ohana/rental. But, to do so meant electrical cords snaking through assorted windows and doors. After experiencing Hurricane Iselle that left many neighbors in our immediate area without power for three weeks, we decided to improve the system by adding "B" -- a sub-panel that ran a heavy duty line directly from the generator to the electric sub-panel that eliminating all the cords messy and dangerous mess of cords.

"C" is our new solar inverter an Outback "Flex-Power"-- a top of the line computerized "baby" that collects the sun's energy from eight solar panels mounted on the roof. "D" is the combiner box that takes all the wires from the solar panel into the inverter. This unit even has a lightning arrester.  And "E" are the amazing permanently sealed batteries that store the solar energy and will power our WHOLE house and the ohana rental!

There's even an "F"-- a unit installed in the house where we can visually and digitally "see" how much power we are getting from the sun, how much is stored in the batteries, and how much we are using at any given time during the day. Yes, we are still connected to the grid -- but with the sun we get, it's likely our new electric bill will be less than $30/month!

PS -- Just in case you missed it on the wall -- just below the computer "mate" is our annual winter "rat count" (last year's Dec-Jan had us at 25.) Hey, it's just part of tropical winter living -- might as well have fun.

We have to give a shout out to the amazing team at SolarSaint - Casey and Josh who make the process easy. If you are thinking about making a move to solar, check out their website and give them a call. SOLARSAINT - Mahalo Nui Loa guys!

Week-at-a-Glance

A few members of our local ukulele group

Super dad and super kid!

As we head into December, there are the tra-di-tions TRA-DI-TIONS! The first is Pahoa's Annual Christmas Parade featuring schools, bands, civic groups, veterans, local youth and local politicians.

Everyone was thankful that our week-long downpour (with over 12" of rain) wrapped it up just in time for the festivities. Here are a few pictures of the parade.

Lunel harvested bunches of mini white poinsettias to share

Another local tradition is getting together to make wreaths from materials gathered from the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

This year's early dusting of snow (see previous blog entry) limited our gathering materials, so our wreaths were supplemented with materials gathered from our yards.

All us beautiful wahine with our wreaths

Later this week, we will go out hunting for our perfect Christmas tree that we can cut ourselves at a local tree farm just a few miles down the road.

Finally, we include a photo of the sweet little puppy girl -- one week old today.

Always on the Move

Photo from the HVO Kilauea Status website of Kilauea's inner crater.

Sometimes it is hard to explain the difference between living on the Big Island of Hawaii, and living back on the continent of America.  While there are fault zones and even earthquakes, the difference is that our land is not solid!  In fact it is always moving beneath us AND moving above ground as it has for the past 30+ years.

Even when we take visiting friends to Kilauea to see the inner Crater of Halema'uma'u the House of the Ferns, (pronounced HA-LAY MA-U MA-U) apart from the glow at night, it often seems static, but it is not. In just the last few weeks the lava level inside the inner crater has fluctuated a lot, sometimes dropping down and sometimes spilling over the top.

Lava stopped just before dividing out town in half!

While the most exciting view at the present time is the lava flowing into the ocean which we shared with blog viewers in our August 9th blog, there's a LOT happening down inside the inner crater of Kilauea all the time.

"Click" on this link from the US Geological Survey - Halema'u'ma'u Crater   This is a 12 minute video created by the USGS during July. (You have an option just to "click" and view, or to download the video.) It was lava from a Kilauea vent called Pu'u O'o that flowed directly at our small village of Pahoa just a couple years ago, stopping just at the edge of the town -- to the relief of everyone.

Ahab and Ahab's Wife

As Ahab eyed me, he said, "What I really really want are wheels."

On a visit to Kona side some months ago, I fell in love with a beautifully carved horn in the shape of a whale at one of our favorite antique stores. He was just so charming!

Taking him out at home I polished him with some wax,  and decided to call him "Ahab>"  I was admittedly stunned when he said, "...but what I really really want are wheels."  My eyebrows lifted, I cocked my head to the side, shrugged and said, "Sure, why the hell not!" I got distracted though (who ME?) for a while, but recently I took him out to play and see...about wheels.  Phil helped me find some wheels at the hardware store that I was able to antique.  Using thick copper wire I created a frame to hold the wheels.  Looking good, but there was just one more thing....a shining spout of copper water!!

Interestingly, a few weeks later I was attracted to a used book at the local bookstore in Pahoa entitled Ahab's Wife.  If you want a good book, I whole-heartedly recommend it, and have provided a LINK to just one of many amazing reviews.  If you're curious read ... A review of Ahab's Wife

Pele Greets Sister Namaka

Things are really flowing here on the Big Island of Hawaii!  Down here in Puna, where lava has been flowing continuously for over 30 years, "Punatics" are living on the edge -- literally.  A couple years ago, as you may know, the lava flow from Kilauea's Pu'u O'o vent rather suddenly changed directions and headed straight toward our little Village of Pahoa.  Stopping only a few hundred feet from splitting the town in half, thankfully the flow returned to a path taking it toward the ocean.

"Moon Rise at Mokuna" by Lunel Haysmer (c)

"Sunset at Mokuna" by Lunel Haysmer (c)

Once again Pele has made national news as lava is now flowing into the ocean. Or, as Hawaiian traditions tell, Pele has returned to embrace her sister, Namaka, Goddess of the Sea.

Like many local artists, I have been inspired to created two versions of one of my "lava drawings" -- to feature a MOON RISE in one, and a SUNSET in the other.

Please do not use these images without asking.  As with my other images, they are copyrighted, and available as 5x7 note cards ($3 each..)  They are available as gallery-wrapped 18x24" canvases.

For Christmas I will be offering them as quilted soft sculpture fabric art for wall hangings. You may contact me through this blog site for more information.   MAHALO


 

Pu'u O'o at Kilauea Volcano

Penny took thiese photo just two nights ago

Flow activity in 2014 vs 2016

Revised 7/26:  UPDATE!  In the wee hours of the morning around 1:15am, lava has once again returned to the sea...

People who don't live on an active volcanic island cannot entirely comprehend the awareness we live with on a daily basis. It gives new meaning to "life on the edge" because here, the "edge" (ka'e) is always changing quite literally.  Lava flows and destroys, but from it grows new land and new life.

Here in the Puna Disrict, lava continues to flow from the Pu'u O'o vent of Kilauea and has been for 30 years!

All of us "Punatics" on the Big Island of Hawaii were grateful that two years ago the flow stopped within a few yards of our Pahoa Village! The lava has since changed directions and has returned to the previous area of flow, more directly south toward the ocean.

Penny -- up close and personal!

The flow has picked up recently and is now only about 1/2 mile from the ocean. When it hits the water, the spectacular show will only intensify as molten lava hit the cold water.

These photos were taken by our neighbor, Penny Overbeck showing how close you can get. It is traditional to make and leave ho'okupa (offerings/gifts) to Pele, being aware of both the destructive and creative forces at work. (remember you can 'click' on images for a close-up view)

Tumeric Kicks Ass!!

REBA says, "I'm not eating that!"

TUMERIC KICKS ASS!!!  

CLICK on chart to read benefits

when it comes to your overall good health!!

A year and a half ago we got a few tubers of tumeric and put it into pots in one of our several staging areas because a friend said, "it is so good for you."   Well, it was sitting in the midst of 20-30 other plants including lots of other ginger-type plants and without any tag I lost track of which was which.

A few months ago, however, I saw some of the orange colored tubers sticking up above the ground. Realizing what it was, I gave the pot a professional gardener's "thump" and out fell several "hands" of tumeric!  Finding both pots again, I labeled them for future reference, and replanted some of the tubers.  Today, I went out to harvest and found another nice clump.

CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT TUMERIC!! Our homeopathic physician here in Pahoa recommended that we both begin to add it to our diets as a regular supplement and several friends (in our age group) also recommended it saying it had massively relieved many of the symptoms listed on the chart above.  Some people prefer to grate it for many on-the-spot recipes and cooking, but we also like the convenience of being able to add a capsule to our daily supplement regime.  CHECK IT OUT!

Marching into March

YELLOW is rainfall for 2016 - so far

This blog entry is a little potpourri of the last week or so.  Although it is hard to imagine Hawaii having a drought, it is true -- and we are feeling it here in Puna on the Big Island! Just look at this rain chart and you will see how badly we need rain -- just like our friends back on the mainland.  Last year's January and February were both dry, but this year has been even worst.


Sunday we attended a presentation by our local Lelani Hula Halau which has been offering classes here in Leilani for many years under the guidance of their kumu (teacher) who was able to come and see them on Sunday.

Here is a lovely photo of them gathered just after the performance. They were accompanied by PUKA (Puna 'Ukulele & Kanikapila Association.) Kanikapila is a style of Hawaiian music that is impromptu, like a jam session, that would typically take place at the beach or a family gathering.

PUKA at local Pahoa Parade

"But Mom, where's her tail?"

The annual Westminster Dog Show happened a few days ago too. Of course we all watched together as a family.  We feel the corgi dogs are often given the short end of the stick (no pun intended).  POKO (standing) had a crush on this year's entry -- a sweet little girl corgi named "Annie Oakley."

And finally, this week we uncovered yet ANOTHER buried vehicle -- this makes the third!  Early on we found one up near the front of the property -- a tire and part of a chassis.

Next we found disparate chunks of a classic old blue hippie van and used parts of it in yard art.  Now we have uncovered part of a yellow bus -- and while it may be the perfect pairing with the old van, we hope this represents that last of the vehicle archaeology!!

Finding Your Way on Hawaii Island

Today we had a chuckle when we drove in for my doctors appointment.  When people first move to the Big Island they can experience a learning curve when it comes to directions and street names because 99.9% of all Big Island street names are Hawaiian.  First, that means that although there are some familiar vowels, they are pronounced quite differently, A = ah, E = eh, I = ee, O = oh, U = oo, and, there are only 7 consonants:  h, k, l. m, n, p, w.

Secondly, you learn that local folk don’t refer to north, east, south and west.  This is an island, and directions are given in relation to the five volcanoes (mountains.) Mauka means toward the mountain and Makai refers means away from the mountain.  Sometimes directions are also given in relation to a village or town.  For example – Kona-side, or Hilo-side. 

So, driving in for our appointment went like this:  Leaving our house on Luana in Leilani Estates, we drove mauka (toward the mountain) past Pahoa.  Once onto Kanoelehua we turned mauka again on Kekuanaoa until we came Kilauea and then mauka to Ponahawai, turning mauka once again up to Komohana, and finally onto Pu’uhonu. Got that??    (PS Yes, we can actually pronounce them.)

Wholly, Holey, Holy!

Items for Craig's List?   "Free to good home....7 left-hand gloves (in good condition)"   This has been a week of LAVA! What with converting the boring driveway "slope" to more attractive terraced beds and the further development of two stunning "lava features" recently excavated from layers of vine, invasive species and debris, I have managed to destroy 6-7 right hand gloves.

Landscaping projects are about as close to "church" as I get -- it is a true communion with nature and I consider it truly holy work.  But, as we wrapped up 5 days of further terra-forming I found myself scrounging for any single right hand glove that had no holes.  Alas, they are now wholly holey!!

Switching gears from working on the "slope" our young friend, neighbor, poet, philosopher and musician, Sam, Phil and I have been uncovering two beautiful lava features on the property.  Most of our blog followers have been aware of last year's "lava event" which stopped just short of dividing the Village of Pahoa in half -- for which we are very thankful.  However, the district of Puna on the Big Island is some of the newest land on the planet!!  The map here shows the various flows -- some of which went through our small subdivision in 1955 and before that in 1850's. So when we discovered a couple of lava outcroppings on the west side of our property, we were excited to see how we could feature them.

View from SW at top of lava outcropping -- view to NE

One flow came from the southwest, and flowed northeast -- and forms the small rise across our property.  When the property was first developed, the earth moving equipment had to cut through part of that flow.  This left a tall 15' escarpment on the right side of our driveway.  (This is not easy to explain and even the photographs don't help much.)  The photo on the right is taken from the TOP of the lava outcropping with our house shown "down" the slope.

We are now clearing away debris so that this beautiful formation can be featured.  Phil has already planted two redwood trees, Sam is helping to dig out invasive shrubs, trees and vines, and I am using broken lava to create curved beds around the lava hillside.  This same hill wraps around a few yards to the right, and then forms a beautiful concave amphitheater. (More photos to come.)